2015 Bahrain Grand Prix
|poletime = 1:32.571 |fastestlap = 1:36.311 |fastestlapdriver = Kimi Räikkönen |fastestlapnation = FIN |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 42 |winner = Lewis Hamilton |winnernation = GBR |winnerteam = |second = Kimi Räikkönen |secondnation = FIN |secondteam = |third = Nico Rosberg |thirdnation = GER |thirdteam = }} The 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix (formally the 2015 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix) was the fourth race of the 2015 Formula One season. The race was the 11th Bahrain Grand Prix, with all of them being held at the Bahrain International Circuit. __TOC__ Background Soft "option" and medium "prime" tyres were used for the Grand Prix. . As in 2014, the race started at sunset, meaning this would be a night race. Jolyon Palmer competed in the first practice session for . The weather was said to be "typically hot and dry", with Friday's temperatures being about 36 °C (97 °F) at the start of the first practice session. However, the temperatures on Sunday were expected to be lower due to the race taking place at night. Lewis Hamilton was accused by Nico Rosberg for backing him up into the drivers, to which the former said that he "did try to attack". They were warned by saying that they will be "managed" more if their behaviour continues. After Hamilton mentioned that negotiations with extending his contract were going slow, people started to rumour that he was asking for a number one status, to which both Hamilton and Mercedes denied the claim. Entry list Practice Overview FP1 Kimi Räikkönen was fastest in the first practice session, having set a time of 1:37.827. Sebastian Vettel followed 0.202 seconds behind despite losing power on his second run, while Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were fifteenth and sixteenth respectively after they used their second set of medium tyres a lot earlier than the other teams, who all waited until the circuit rubbered in. Valtteri Bottas had successfully set the third fastest time for Williams, being joined by Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz, Jr. Daniel Ricciardo was fifth ahead of Toro Rosso's other driver Max Verstappen. Fernando Alonso made a surprise result with the seventh fastest time. However, Jenson Button was unable to set a time when an electrical issue caused his car to spin and halt at Turn 2 at the start of his flying lap. Felipe Nasr was eighth fastest, but his teammate Marcus Ericsson was in seventeenth. The final two in the top ten were Daniil Kvyat and Felipe Massa. Sergio Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg were eleventh and thirteenth respectively, sandwiching Pastor Maldonado. Jolyon Palmer again took over for Romain Grosjean, setting the fourteenth fastest time. Will Stevens was eighteenth fastest, and Roberto Merhi followed in nineteenth. FP2 After failing to top the results of the first session, Rosberg and Hamilton were able to get back to the top in the second practice session. Rosberg was fastest with a time of 1:34.647, while Hamilton was second after locking up his right front tyre at Turn 8. Räikkönen followed, and teammate Vettel was fourth, despite an incident near the end. He was coming out of the pits, when he noted of having problems with his brakes, and his front wing was damaged after it made contact at Turn 1 with the tyre of Pérez, who was seventeenth in the session and making a dive inside Nasr. The red flags were briefly brought out when the debris was left on the track, having to be removed. Following an investigation, the stewards gave no further action for the incident. Räikkönen and Hamilton were also alerted to the stewards when they left the pit lane incorrectly, having passed a few drivers at the exit. Räikkönen was reprimanded for what appeared to be dangerous driving, while no further action was given for Hamilton. Bottas was still impressive with the fifth fastest time, being followed by Ricciardo. Maldonado was successfully seventh, and after Vettel and Pérez's incident, Nasr was eighth. Kvyat and Massa finished in the same positions as in the first session, and Ericsson moved to eleventh in front of Alonso. Absent from the first session due to Palmer taking over, Grosjean was thirteenth ahead of Sainz, Hülkenberg and Verstappen. Button was nineteenth following an engine problem that forced him to stop at Turn 11 after completing only two laps. McLaren were able to get the car going again later in the session, but Button could not improve the lap time he set earlier, being sandwiched between Stevens and Merhi. FP3 Hamilton was able to beat Rosberg in the third practice session, being 0.069 seconds ahead of Vettel, with Rosberg being third. Räikkönen, who was fourth fastest, was followed by Bottas and Massa, and Maldonado did an impressive seventh. Ricciardo set the eighth fastest time, but his teammate Kvyat was twelfth after a spin into the gravel trap at Turn 4 following four laps completed. However, he managed to go back onto the circuit in the last three minutes. Hülkenberg and Nasr filled out the top ten, with Button in eleventh. Ericsson was thirteenth fastest ahead of Verstappen and Pérez, and Alonso had set the sixteenth fastest time. Sainz followed him, and Grosjean was eighteenth after struggling with lock-up from his brakes. Stevens and Merhi were nineteenth and twentieth respectively. Practice Results Qualifying Q1 Hamilton had the fastest time in Q1, with Bottas separating him from Rosberg. Button was one of the Q1 eliminators, when he was unable to set a time due to another technical problem. He stated, after his car broke down following its exit out of the pits, that "I'm guessing it was electrical; the car just shut down." He was later given permission by the stewards to take part in the race. Meanwhile, his teammate Alonso finally got his car into Q2. Maldonado was also eliminated when his car had an engine problem, having to start 16th. The other drivers eliminated were Kvyat, Stevens and Merhi. Q2 Again, the fastest time was set by Hamilton, ahead of Räikkönen, Massa, Vettel and Rosberg. Pérez was only just put into the knockout zone by Sainz at the end of Q2. Both Sauber drivers Nasr and Ericsson qualified twelfth and thirteenth respectively. Alonso was knocked out as well with the fourteenth fastest time, having made the first time McLaren had got into Q2 in 2015. Verstappen was the last of the drivers in the knockout zone after a mistake at the end of his fastest lap. Q3 Hamilton went on to receive his first pole position in Bahrain, with a time of 1:32.571, ahead of Vettel and Rosberg. Räikkönen was next to Rosberg, and Bottas and Massa qualified fifth and sixth respectively. Ricciardo was seventh ahead of Hülkenberg, Sainz and Grosjean. Qualifying Results Note: ** Button did not manage to set a time within the Q1 107% requirement, and was given permission from the stewards to race. Grid Source Note: ** Button did not manage to set a time within the Q1 107% requirement, and was given permission from the stewards to race. Race Pre-race Button was unable to start the race, due to further technical problems. Report At the start of the formation lap, Massa's car stalled, which it was thought to be an electrical problem. It was able to move again, but Massa had to start from the pit lane due to the new rules of 2015. Hamilton kept his lead at the first corner on the first lap, and Räikkönen overtook Rosberg while the latter was trying to make a move around Vettel. However, Rosberg was able to get past Räikkönen on lap 4. Maldonado was given a five-second penalty for not lining up on the grid correctly. Meanwhile, Rosberg took second place from Vettel on lap 9. Hülkenberg, Massa and Nasr made the first pit stops of the race on lap 11. Maldonado took his penalty during his first pit stop. Vettel came in on lap 14, and moved into third on lap 15 when Rosberg took his first pit stop, despite the latter already being in front of Vettel. Hamilton pitted on the next lap, giving the lead to Räikkönen, and rejoining in second right ahead of Vettel and Rosberg. Rosberg was able to get past Vettel on lap 17, before Räikkönen pitted on lap 18. to be completed Post-race Hamilton explained to Jackie Stewart while in the podium interviews: "The Ferraris gave us a real good run for our money and out there it was really difficult to look after the tyres in these conditions, behind backmarkers and all sorts, but fortunately I was able to keep the car together, keep the tyres as healthy as possible and pull it through." Räikkönen stated that he was disappointed with not winning, but was pleased of "how the team is working." Rosberg said that while he was displeased with losing second place, he was still happy with the speed of the car. Vettel, who had finished outside the podium, said that he thought he had let Ferrari down with his mistake of going wide and damaging his front wing, but still had "a good recovery and still some decent points." The Süddeutsche Zeitung stated that Räikkönen's drive, earning him his first podium in his return to Ferrari, was a "cool application" for a new contract after 2015. Ricciardo's car had a fourth engine put in after the third failed upon finishing the race, meaning that he would get a grid penalty if he uses a fifth engine. Verstappen, who was one of the drivers that did not finish the race, stated that the engine was "a bit of a nightmare." Christian Horner later announced that the teams would agree to have a plan on allowing a maximum of five engines to be used. Results Notes: ** Maldonado made a mistake on the grid by lining up in seventeenth instead of sixteenth, with all the drivers behind him pushed down one place. *† Massa started from the pit lane after a problem caused him to stall on the grid. *‡ Button's car stayed in the pits, after McLaren spotted a problem with its ERS. Fastest laps Laps in the lead Stints Totals Milestones * Lewis Hamilton's fourth consecutive pole position. Standings after race Notes External links Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Bahrain Grand Prix Category:2015 Grands Prix